PhatPhoenixVSG

It's instant (powdered) Peanut Butter and it has 25% of the calories of regular Peanut Butter. I love peanut butter but I can eat a 200 calorie serving in an instant and still want more.

What is it and why is it so great?

Congratulations on your weight loss and new healthy lifestyle! It is always great to hear stories like these. I am currently working with my husband to help him do the same and it certainly isn't easy. It also isn't easy for me. I fight for every pound lost.
I lost hundreds of pounds over the years, the most at one time being 95. I would do a fairly good job only to gain it all back and then some.
Now every time I lose a pound I know it will be gone forever because I have a tool that helps me. For me, surgery literally gave me my life back and it was the best decision I ever made for myself. I am the healthiest I have been in my life as well. All of my previous medical issues are gone with the exception of one, I damaged my spine. I would not have been able to lose this weight without surgical intervention and not because of my eating habits.
What I am wondering is, what are you hoping to gain from The folks on this site? Why do you believe that losing weight without surgery is healthier?
If you are assuming that it is because you did not have to have your insides rearranged I would argue that losing and gaining over and over again is not healthy. Although this may have worked for you, I know I could have lost the weight, I simply proved over and over that I could not maintain it.
I know that if I follow the plan, I will remain healthy.
I am just curious why you would post to this site? Are you looking for support or simply a platform to make those that are considering weight loss surgery second guess their decisions? For many that use this site, weight loss surgery will save their lives.
If you are looking for support, that is fantastic and this group will always jump in to help. Please let us know what you are struggling with.

Hell yes !!!!!!!!!
Way to go. Way to own up to it and do something about it.
Excellent success story. Now....post up some pics of your progress and let's hear some specifics on your plan to maintain this.
Way to go, man !!!

Dang it! Why didn't I hear about this doctor sooner? I paid my deposit on a VSG in mexico on June 30th.

I'm pretty much in the same stage....pre pre-op. I started a 3 month supervised weight loss period 3 weeks ago and have lost about 7-10 pounds. I am fitness pal and keeping my calories under 1600. I'm trying to give up my diet Sundrop but it is hard. I am also Water jogging at the pool 3-4 nights a week. When I saw my nutritionist yesterday she said that Adkins shakes are good...even post op. I use them for Breakfast since I was not a breakfast eater. Otherwise, I try to eat a well balanced low fat meal for lunch and dinner with fruit, cheese, or nuts for Snacks. Hope you have a good week. Give me a shout next weekend, PhatPhoenixVSG! We can keep each other motivated during this pre op time!

I don't have a solid surgery date yet. I'm not on the "pre-op liquid diet" stage. So I'm kind of pre, pre-op as far as diet.
I do want to lose about 25 more lbs before my surgery date. If I can make it to my mini-goal that means I will have 110 lbs to lose after my surgery.
I'm not even sure if the 25 lbs will matter but I've set out on this mission and want to accomplish it. Any tips? What did you do to lose weight in the beginning? I've lost 10-13 lbs so far... 25 more to go!!

If you have the option to borrow from your 401K that would probably be a good option. The interest rates are typically low (around 3%) and you are paying yourself back. If you have bad credit most likely any other creditor will charge you 20% +.
What ever you do don't take a cash withdraw out of your 401k....the taxes and penilities are ridiculous!
Good luck with your journey!

so exciting, I'm a Tijuana post op sleever. I had my surgery Sept. 26th 2014. I started at 217 pounds and weight in at 135 pounds. I have lost 82 pounds total in 10 months, and could not be happier. You will love your results, the journey is stuff not gonna lie, but it is so worth it.
Good Luck and CONGRATS!!!!!!!

I started drinking Protein Drinks and tons of Water all day and then just eating whatever I wanted for dinner about 2 weeks before I was supposed to started my 2 wk. liquid diet pre-op. I just felt like I wanted to get myself in the right mind-set before going totally liquids only. And I've lost 13 pounds already! I'm supposed to start liquid diet on the 14th. And my surgery is scheduled on the 28th!!!

My doctor said not to start early reason being at the 10 day Mark your liver is as small as it is going to get. That any days over that your body starts adjusting and liver size will increase.

You sound like me. Most of all I hate shopping for clothes. That's when depression set it. But on July 21st that will all change for me. I'm happy I finally chose to take this journey.

You'll be glad you have those pictures after you get surgery and start losing weight!

"I'm having surgery on xx date. My surgeon says I need to be out of work for two weeks. Do you want me to bring you a letter from my surgeon?"
My understanding is that it isn't legal for them to inquire about what kind of surgery you are having, only how long you will be out and that your doctor has approved/required your being out for a certain length of time. After all, what if you were having anal fissures repaired, or a vaginal fistula, or a colostomy? Not that I think any of those things are something to be ashamed of, but they are understandably private -- as are ALL medical decisions.
If they ask what kind of surgery you are having, you can say what you are comfortable with: "gosh, I'm not sure I want to discuss the details of my medical care at work, I thought the law only required that you know I'm having surgery and my surgeon confirms I need to be out?" or "umm, I hate to say this, but it is super embarrassing and I promise you we would both be mortified if I went into details" -- something along those lines. I do not think it is a good idea to outright lie to people at work. That's not going to reflect well on you if the truth comes out -- and the chances are good it will.
When you get a letter from your surgeon, request that it be on no letterhead, or letterhead that doesn't reference bariatric surgery or weight loss. Ask that the letter just say that you are having surgery and need to be out for x number of days, not the type of surgery.
Also be prepared for what you will say if someone flat out asks you if you are having (or had) weight loss surgery. Again, I think your best options are either "I'm not really comfortable discussing the details of my health care at work" or "yes" -- I think flat out lies will catch up to you and diminish you in others' eyes, far more than having the surgery will.
I know this is a tough and tricky issue. Good luck!
PS not trying to give legal advice -- if this is an important issue for you, you may want to research it on your own or consult a lawyer.
PPS I like the idea of having your PCP do it on a prescription pad. Even better than getting a letter from the surgeon!

Surgery is tomorrow morning and I have to check in at 5:15am! My stomach is in knots, I'm excited yet afraid at the same time. I'm tired of failing. I wanna be successful and healthy and completely understand that the sleeve is only a tool. I know I can do it. I have to do it!

The real question here is what exactly have you been feeding your Labrador?

Explosive juicy poop-farts. Carry extra clothes in your bag just in case. At the slightest hint of interest in the bowel area, head for a toilet.

I use the Derma blend body cream to hide a tattoo I had removed (but you can still see) on my ankle. It comes in a large white tube. I would say the biggest challenge is finding a color that matches your skin. They sell it at Ulta. There are great tutorial videos on YouTube on how to apply it. Layer. Layer. Layer. It holds up great (for me) while swimming in pools and ocean Water without applying the optional setting powder.

Agreed! OMG that someone (with a phone and a CPA no less) would want tax advice from random internet posters instead of the IRS.

Ouch. She's a CPA and took the time to answer your post. Is it necessary to blast people who are trying to be helpful?It seems like you are looking for a specific answer. I'm sure if you search long and hard enough you will find all sorts of people claiming and deducting things on their taxes that wouldn't fly if they were audited. In my opinion, the plastic surgery your are speaking of doesn't qualify as a deduction. How about you claim it on you taxes and report back to us if you got audited? I will probably pass as I've already been audited once in my lifetime by the IRS. I prefer to stay under the radar ????

I thought my response was clear and relevant to the post, but okay. Not everyone interprets things the same way. So I will rephrase this.....
We have the ability to apply any of the available deductions when we submit our taxes. It's only if and when we are audited, that your questions would actually become relevant. There could be hundreds (or thousands) of people out there that have applied this deduction. Only the ones that were selected for an audit can honestly tell you if the IRS accepted/allowed this deduction after a manual review.
That being said, the results will still vary by individual because there is a medical necessity requirement. Perhaps this is just clear to me because I have experience developing evidence-based criteria.
IRS language pasted from your reply:
necessary to improve a deformity arising from, or directly related to, a congenital abnormality, a personal injury resulting from an accident or trauma, or a disfiguring disease."
Notice the key word "necessary." Based upon your health history, can you prove that the removal of the excess tissue was necessary to improve a deformity arising from, or directly related to, a congenital abnormality, a personal injury resulting from an accident or trauma, or a disfiguring disease? Is your excess skin (as a result of obesity) so extensive or impairing that it could be considered a disfigurement?
Based upon the language you were kind enough to paste in your reply, my previous reply is still appropriate. Honestly, this would be easily remedied by just contacting the IRS and asking about the audit process related to medical deductions: "What type of documentation is required if I'm audited? Do you need documentation from my physician to support my use/application of this medical deduction?"
You would probably be better off obtaining this information directly from the IRS (regarding their specific requirements) instead of relying on someone else's results (that are based upon their own personal health history).
I hope you're able to get the information you need in order to move forward.
JerseyCityGal,
I understand your question, but everyone's situation is different.
Let's say you took a deduction in 2014 for your Sleeve and were audited, would you be able to prove that it was medically necessary? That's really the issue here. You could definitely attempt to take the deduction. I've done it for dental work that was considered cosmetic. But if I were audited, I have the documentation to prove that my dental work was medically necessary even if it wasn't covered by my insurance.
I don't think one answer fits all situations.... It's not the same as an itemization for home office expenses (it would be so much easier if it was ). It gets really murky when you start comparing medical procedures and services. My sleeve was approved by the insurance company on the first submission within 48 hours, but there are tons of people on the board that have been repeatedly denied by their insurance company. I think this one is going to be dependent on the documentation that you have to support your deduction in the event of an audit.
I know that's not the answer you were looking for but it's the truth and audits are evil.
Ally
No offense, seriously, but you are not getting it..
If you have an official medical diagnosis of Obesity, yes, your VSG is deductible (% of AGI and all that). If you had it done for shits and giggles and were not obese, it won't work.
"Medically necessary" does not appear in the Cosmetic section of the tax code. What does appear is " if it is necessary to improve a deformity arising from, or directly related to, a congenital abnormality, a personal injury resulting from an accident or trauma, or a disfiguring disease." It does not seem to me that Obesity falls under any of those categories, but I did find one US tax court case that allowed a woman with an over 100 lb weight loss whose abdominal skin got in the way of her movement for her job to take the deduction.
I am SPECIFICALLY asking:
1) people who have had reconstructive types of plastic surgery after massive (over 100 lb) weight loss; i.e. skin removal/LBL, arm lifts, etc (not a tiny Tummy Tuck but major surgery)
2) Did you claim these surgeries as a deduction on your tax returns?
3) How did it work out for you? Was it questioned?

I started doing Protein shakes for Breakfast once I went to my original meeting, before meeting with the surgeon. From the time of the first meeting to when meeting with surgeon, I had lost 15lbs. From there, I only had to lose 12 more lbs to get surgery. By the time of surgery I was 10lbs past my goal weight, with losing 5 lbs in the two days before on the liquid diet.
Good luck on your journey

I asked all of my questions by email to Ana or David. I could have called but being that I was at work, it was easier to email. They replied very quickly. I paid my deposit on my lunch break and received an invoice by email very quickly. Now they are just waiting on me....
I wasn't really worried about paying the money. This web site is too popular with too many visitors to screw anyone over. I don't think they'd risk it. Did you get it done??

Keep up the awesome work ladies! Definitely not the easiest thing at first!
My diet consists of 1000cal 100g Protein and 60gm carbs per day so I think I have it a little easier than some do.
4 Protein shakes with unsweetend almond milk/day (EAS vanilla whey), Sometimes substituting with Isopure grape
1 small serving of a low carb fruit
1/2-1 cup low carb cooked or raw veggies
1 frozen meal- under 250 cal, with less than 30g carbs (healthy choice steamers- are my fav)
48-68 oz of sugar free liquid
I only had a headache and dealt wit
h some nausea the first couple of days....only on day 5 though! Preop appointment 1/30. Surgery 2/11.
Seems like forever away! Hoping it goes fast! Have a lot to get done in the meantime!
Good luck all!
Amanda
HW- 314
First Appointment WT 310lbs
Prior to liver shrink- 292
Today- 284.6 lbs

I lost 20 pounds pre-op and 90 pounds post-op from RNY surgery. The 20 pounds pre-op came mostly by going cold turkey on drinking Cokes. I drank Cokes/Diet Cokes for over 50 years and generally about 6 cans per day. I knew that I had to give up carbonated beverages and caffeine for the surgery, so I started 6 months early. I suspect the weight loss was due to the carbonation. These small bubbles microscopically expanded my stomach over the years which allowed me to consume more food and gain weight. Once I got off them the pounds rolled off.
Also it is a good idea to give up caffeine early on because when I gave up Cokes my body went into withdrawal syndrome and I suffered severe headaches for about a week. This is common. It is better to get this over with and not compound the surgery with a bout of withdrawal at the same time.
Also walk each day for about 20 minutes. It will make your recovery go much much smoother.